Condensation trap



H. C. ELLIS CONDENSATION TRAP July 3, l 923.

3 Sheets-Shet 1 July 3, 1923. I 11,466,410

' H. C. ELLIS GONDENSATI 0N TRAP Filed July 14, 1919 s Sheets-Sheet '2 x e b 3 sheets -sheet 5 July 3, 1923.

H. C. ELLIS CONDENSATION TRAP Filed July 14 Patented July 3, 1923.

niran re raie HUBER'I. C. ELLIS, OI EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOE T0 ELLIS 13311513 60 ELEVATOR COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLXNOIS, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

CONDENSATION TRAP.

Application filed July 14, 1919. Serial No. 310,686.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Hunnnr C. ELLIS, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Evanston in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Condensation Traps, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to condenser traps and its object is to provide one which is eflicient in operation and of large capacity in handling condensate.

The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter set forthand more parr ticularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof. v

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a steam-trap embodying the invention, the tilting drum being shown'in section. Fig. 2 is an end elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the valve for controlling the admission of steam to discharge the condensation from the drum. Fig. 4 is asection taken on line 11 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line -55 of Fig. 1.

The several parts of the trap are mounted upon a base 7. An inlet pipe 36 for the condensate is connected to a T-fitting 31 which is provided with a bottom-flange 37 which is bolted to the base 7. A discharge pipe 38 for the condensation is also connected to fitting 31. A trunnion-pipe 12 comprising members 11 and 11" has one of its ends pivoted in a stufiing box 30 of the fitting 31 and its other end to the base 7. A drum 35 is supported from the trunnion pipe 12 by a riser-pipe 34L and an elbow-pipe 40 so that the drum will be tiltable with the trunnionpipe. Pipe 40 is in communication with the passage in member 11 ofthe trunnionpipe and separated from the duct in the member 11 by a wall 88, communicates with the bottom of the drum adjacent one end thereof and is adapted to conduct the con-' densate'from pipe 36 into the drum and to conduct the condensation from the drum to the pipe. 88. A check-valve 11 is usually included in the pipe 36 to prevent back-flow of the condensate, and a check-valve 12 is included in the discharge-pipe 38, which may be the return pipe to a boiler, to prevent the pressure in said pipe from passing back into the drum. Check-valve 4.1 is closed against the backfiow oi: the condensate while valve 42 is adapted to be opened by live steam-pressure when the condensation in the drum is subjected to sufiicient steam pressure to open said valve against the steam-pressure holding it closed.

A live-steam pipe 8 is connected to the inlet chamber 9 of casing 10 of the valve for controlling the admission of steam to dis charge the accumulated condensation in the drum. A wall 14 forms a partition between the inlet-chamber 9 and the outlet-chamber 18 of casing 10. A hollowscage 15 is screwthreaded into said wall and the upper end of this cage serves as a seat for the steam cut-oil 16. The stem 17 of said cut-ofl is adapted to operate the cut-oil 16 to raise and lower it from its seat. The cage 15 has a bottom which is provided with an opening and valve-seat 20 which is adapted to be closed when the cut-ofi 16 is openedby a conical plug 21 which is secured to the lower end 01" a stem 22, which has its upper end secured to the cutoff 16. Plug 21 is adapted to close against seat 20 while steam is being admitted to the trap through pipe 11 and to open when thecut-ofi 16 is closed to provide an air-relief while condensate is being delivered into the drum. A pocket 2?) in the casing 10 and below the cage 15 is provided with an opening 23' through which air can. escape. A. packing box 18 for valve-stem 17 is formed. ina removable head 25 which is secured to casing 10 by bolts 26. A characteristic of the combined steam admission. and air-relief valve is the conjoint removability of the cut-oif l6 and the plug 21 upon removal of the head 25. This makes it possible to easily remove the valve-seats for grinding when necessary. Plug 21 is screw-threaded to stem 22 so that it can be both adjusted and removed from the stem. When it is removed, the cage can be completely separated from the stems 17 and 22 and valve 10.

Steam admitted through the valve-casing 10, when the cut-off 16 is open, will pass through member 11 ofthe trunnion pipe, the vertical. pipe 34 and an extension 34 thereof inside of the drum so that the steam will be delivered to the upper portion of the drum and will subject the condensation in the drum to sufficient pressure to force it into the pipe 38.

The ends of the drum are closed by heads 35 and 35. The heads 85 is dished in wardly, as at 52, to form a pocket for a weight of lead which has a low melting point is fluxed around an angle-iron strip 51 which is secured to the dished portion 52 and the pocket of the head. A disk 53 is secured to the head to close the pocket, its margins being welded to the head. The lead 50 while melted is poured into the chamber between the wall 52 and disk 53, while the drum is inverted, through an opening closed by a plug 53.

The weight 50 is disposed adjacent the upper portion of the drum so that when the drum is tilted, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, it will markedly move toward the axis about which the drum tilts, so that it will be applied differentially to lessen its resistance to the tilting of the drum by the column of water therein after it has once been started by preponderating force of the condensation in the drum. In tilting back to removal position, the eflectiveness of the weight increases as the drum reaches the end of its movement. Another characteristic of this weight is that it is closed so that it will be out of reach of the employees. In practice, it has been found that when an exposed weight is used, it is frequently tampered with and put out of adjustment so that the trap will not operate properly, and by enclosing this weight this is overcome.

The tilting of the drum by an accumulated load of condensation automatically operates a lever 54 which is fulcrumed at 55 on a post 56, has its outer end pivoted to an adjustable rod 57 which is secured to the drum, and has its inner end. forked to engage adjustable nuts 58 on the stem 17 of the combined steam-admission and relief-valve.

A pheuniatic-bufler or cushion for the drum comprises a cylinder 60 which is pivoted at 61, and a piston 63 working in the cylinder and connected to a rod 62. The upper end of rod 62 is provided with nuts 64 for engaging a lug 65 on the drum.

A'rib 66 around the central portion of the base 7 confines any drippage so it will pass into a well 67, to which a drip-pipe 68 is connected.

The operation of the trap will be as fol lows: Normally, the steam admission-valve will be closed and the air-relief will be open. When 'suflicient condensation has accumu lated in the drum to produce a preponderance on the unweighted side of the drum to cause it to tilt into position. indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1 against the force of the enclosed weight 50, the drum will opcrate lever 54 to operate the valve-stem 17.

After the drum has started, the weight 50 approaches the aXis about which the drum swings so that the drum will be positively operated a full stroke and Will correspondingly operate lever 54 to shift the valve stem 17. When this has occurred, the cutoff 16 will be open and the air-relief 21 will be closed. Steam under pressure will then pass into the drum above the column of water through member 11 of the trunnion-pipe 12 and pipes 34 and 34. This steam will subject the column of water to sufficient pressure to force it through pipe 40, member 11 of the trunnion pipe and through the checlcvalve; 42 into the boiler return-pipe 38. Just before all of the water is forced out of the drum, the weight 50 will restore the drum to its normal position and cause the steam admission-valve to close and the air-relief 21 to open.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth, since these be modified within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus'described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a condensation trap, the combination of a tiltable drum, an inlet for the condensate and an outlet for the condensation, a valve connected to be operated by the drum for admitting fluid under pressure to the drum to discharge the condensation, and a counterweight for the drum consisting of metal having a low melting point and secured to the drum.

2. In a condensation trap, the combination of a tiltable drum, an inlet for the condensate and an outlet for the condensation, a valve operated by the drum for admitting fluid under pressure to the drum to dis charge the condensation, a counterweight for the drum consisting of metal havinga low melting point, said drum having a" dished head at one end in which said weight is securechand a disk secured to close said head and enclose said weight. i I In a condensation trap, the combination ofa tiltable dr'iu'n supported to swing about a point'be'low the drum, an inlet for the condensate and an outlet 'for'the condensation, a valve operated by the drum for admitting fluid under pressure to the drum to discharge the condensation, and a counterweightfix'ed to the drum and disposed ad j acent the top and immediately adjacent one end of the drum so that it will swing toward 'the fulcrum ofthe drum to lessen its power after the drum has started to tilt to discharging position, I

4. In a condensation trap, the combination of a tilta'ble drum supported to swing about a point below the drum, an inlet for the condensate and an outlet for the con densation, a valve operated by the drum for admitting fluid under pressure to the drum to discharge the condensation, and a counterweight fixed to the drum and disposed adjacent the top and immediately adjacent one end of the drum so that it will swing to Ward the drum-fulcrum to lessen its power after the drum has started to tilt to discharging position and to move away from said fulcrum during the restoring movement of the drum.

5. In a condensation trap, the combination of a tiltahle drum, an inlet for the condensate and an outlet for the condensation, a valve operated by the drum for admitting fluid under pressure to the drum to discharge the condensation comprising a cut-off for said fluid, and an air-relief plug secured together for conjoint movement, a valvecasing, and a cage removably mounted in the casing and having seats thereon for the cut-off and said plug.

6. In a condensation trap, the combina tion of a tiltahle drum an inlet for the condensate and an outlet for the condensation, a valve operated by the drum for admitting fluid under pressure to the drum to discharge the condensation comprising a cutoff for said fluid and an air-relief plug secured together for conjoint movement, a valve-casing, and a cage removahly mounted in the casing and having a seat at its top for the cut-off, a seat at its bottom for the plug and a perforated integral connecting well between said seats.

HUBER-T C. ELLIS. 

